Senior Business Partner

Cranfield University; Bedford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Cranfield University is seeking a Senior HR Business Partner to help realise our people priorities and positively impact staff and student experiences. The role is hands-on, with a strong focus on operational delivery as well as driving strategic HR initiatives across Professional Service Units.

You should be a senior HR generalist with MCIPD or equivalent experience and demonstrable ER expertise. This position includes line management responsibility and requires effective partnering across the

Qualifications

• Senior HR generalist with MCIPD or equivalent experience.
• Proven employee relations experience and stakeholder partnering.
• Hands-on role with both delivery and strategy components.

Responsibilities

• Partner with stakeholders across the University within Professional Service Units.
• Lead operational delivery while implementing strategic HR initiatives.
• Support staff and student experience through effective HR practices.

Skills

ER experience

Stakeholder partnering

Line management

HR generalist

Education

MCIPD qualification

Job description

Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £49,735 to £59,837 per annum

37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.

Location: Cranfield, Bedfordshire

We are a University with ambitious and distinctive characteristics and welcome applications from enthusiastic HR professionals to join our community.

About the Role

To support our ambitions we are seeking a Senior Business Partner with the ability and experience to help realise our people priorities and make a real impact on our staff and student experience through partnering with stakeholders across the University within Professional Service Units.

About You

We welcome applications from individuals who are able to influence and partner successfully with a range of stakeholders. You will be a senior HR generalist who is MCIPD qualified, or equivalent experience, with demonstrable ER experience. This role is hands on and will have a strong focus on operational delivery as well as ensuring strategic initiatives are put into action. Reporting to the Lead Senior Business Partner, you will have line management responsibility Business Partners, and as a team will support a range of centralised university services.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 26 October 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme